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Understanding Ottawa's School Options : Top Public & Private Schools in Ottawa
Ottawa is served by all four of Ontario’s publicly funded school systems, so most families have at least four tuition-free options before considering private or online schools. Each system runs its own schools, catchment boundaries and registration process, and eligibility rules differ — particularly for the French-language boards.
| System | Board Serving Ottawa | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| English Public | Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) | The largest board in the city, operating more than 140 schools from Kindergarten to Grade 12, according to the City of Ottawa’s enrolment guide |
| English Catholic | Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) | Roughly 96 schools, including about 20 secondary schools; open to Catholic families, with admission possible for others depending on space |
| French Public | Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO) | Based in Ottawa but serving a wide Eastern Ontario region; secondary schools are located across the city, from Orléans to Kanata |
| French Catholic | Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) | French Catholic board operating elementary and secondary schools throughout Ottawa and the Centre-East region |
School system fit
School system fit Which system fits depends on language, faith, address and program needs. English public schools admit any resident student; Catholic boards typically prioritize Catholic families at the elementary level, while French-language boards serve francophone rights-holders (with admissions committees for other families). All four grant the same Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
Notable Public High Schools in Ottawa
The OCDSB’s most frequently discussed secondary schools are those with distinctive, board-verified programs — an IB school, a gifted centre, an audition-based arts school and one of Ontario’s longest-running AP programs among them. The list below is not a ranking; these are notable schools families frequently consider, selected for verifiable specialty programming and geographic spread.
Colonel By Secondary School (east, Beacon Hill area).
- Beacon Hill
- OCDSB
According to the school, Colonel By is a community school and a system school offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme to students from across the national capital region, alongside English, French Immersion and Gifted programming and an SHSM in Arts and Culture: Digital Media.
Lisgar Collegiate Institute (Centretown).
- Centretown
- OCDSB
One of three OCDSB sites for the board’s Specialized Gifted Program at the secondary level, per the OCDSB, with a long-standing reputation for academic rigour in the downtown core.
Canterbury High School (southeast, Urbandale).
- Urbandale
- OCDSB
Home to Ottawa’s audition-based specialized arts program, which admits students city-wide — a common choice for students serious about dance, drama, music, visual arts or writing.
Earl of March Secondary School (west, Kanata).
- Kanata
- OCDSB
The school reports that its teachers adopted Advanced Placement in 1997; senior students can take AP courses in subjects such as Computer Science, English, French, Physics and History, alongside French Immersion and co-op programming.
Nepean High School (Westboro).
- Westboro
- OCDSB
A well-established central-west school offering English and French Immersion pathways with strong academic and extracurricular traditions.
Glebe Collegiate Institute (the Glebe).
- The Glebe
- OCDSB
A large central school with broad academic programming, including French Immersion, serving one of Ottawa’s most established neighbourhoods.
Application and catchment information
Most OCDSB placements are catchment-based, but specialty programs such as IB, gifted and arts operate city-wide application or audition processes — check the OCDSB website for current criteria and deadlines.
Notable Catholic High Schools in Ottawa
The OCSB operates about 20 secondary schools across Ottawa, many structured as Grade 7–12 schools, with French Immersion certificates and Specialist High Skills Major programs among their signature offerings. Admission typically prioritizes Catholic families, though non-Catholic students can often enrol at the secondary level where space permits — confirm directly with the board.
St. Patrick's High School (Alta Vista).
- Alta Vista
- OCSB
A Grade 7–12 school founded in 1929; per the OCSB, one of the board’s Health & Wellness SHSM sites.
St. Pius X High School (central-west, Fisher Avenue).
- Fisher Avenue
- OCSB
A long-established school that also offers the OCSB’s Health & Wellness SHSM.
St. Matthew High School (Orléans).
- Orléans
- OCSB
Serves Ottawa’s east end and appears on the OCSB’s Health & Wellness SHSM roster.
Mother Teresa High School (Barrhaven).
- Barrhaven
- OCSB
A south-west option with the Health & Wellness SHSM, per the board.
Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Kanata).
- Kanata
- OCSB
A west-end Grade 7–12 school serving Kanata’s growing communities.
Immaculata High School (Old Ottawa East).
- Old Ottawa East
- OCSB
A central Grade 7–12 school on Main Street near the Rideau Canal.
French pathways
Across the board, the OCSB's French pathways let students earn a Core French certificate (4 courses) or a French Immersion certificate (10 courses, including 6 subjects taught in French), according to the OCSB.
French-Language Schools in Ottawa
French-language education in Ottawa is a constitutional right, not just a program. Under Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, francophone rights-holders are entitled to French-language schooling, delivered through CEPEO (public) and CECCE (Catholic). These are full French-language schools — distinct from French Immersion, which is an English-board program.
CEPEO and CECCE schools
CEPEO’s Ottawa secondary schools include É.s.p. De La Salle (Lowertown), É.s.p. Louis-Riel (Blackburn Hamlet), É.s.p. Gisèle-Lalonde (Orléans) and É.s.p. Omer-Deslauriers (Nepean). De La Salle is particularly notable: it houses the Centre d’excellence artistique de l’Ontario (CEAO), an audition-based pre-professional arts program with eight concentrations, and it opened Ontario’s first French-language gifted centre in 1983, per the school. CECCE operates French Catholic high schools across the city; families can locate their designated school through the board’s website.
École secondaire Toronto Ouest
Families without automatic rights-holder status can apply through each board’s admissions committee.
Specialty Programs and Curricula in Ottawa
Ottawa offers nearly every major specialty pathway available in Ontario — IB, AP, gifted, arts, French Immersion, and SHSM. Still, each is anchored at specific schools, so program choice often determines school choice. Per ontario.ca, a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a Ministry-approved specialized program that lets Grade 11 and 12 students focus their learning on a specific economic sector while earning the OSSD, through a bundle of sector-focused credits, certifications and experiential learning.
IB Diploma
International Baccalaureate two-year diploma recognized by universities worldwide
Colonel By SS (OCDSB system school, per the school and board)
Advanced Placement (AP)
College Board university-level courses and exams taken in high school
Earl of March SS (AP program since 1997, per the school)
Gifted
Congregated classes for students formally identified as gifted
Lisgar CI (one of three OCDSB secondary sites); Colonel By SS; De La Salle (French)
Arts (specialized)
Audition-based intensive arts training alongside the OSSD
Canterbury HS (city-wide); De La Salle’s CEAO (French, eight concentrations)
French Immersion
English-board program delivering a large share of instruction in French, leading to an FI certificate
Widely offered across OCDSB and OCSB secondary schools
SHSM
Sector-focused Ministry program (e.g., Health & Wellness, Digital Media, Business)
St. Patrick’s, St. Pius X, St. Matthew, Mother Teresa (OCSB Health & Wellness); Colonel By (Digital Media); multiple OCDSB schools per the board’s SHSM directory
Use rankings carefully
How Are Ottawa Schools Ranked (and What Are the Caveats)?
What rankings measure
School rankings for Ottawa come mainly from the Fraser Institute’s annual report card, which scores Ontario secondary schools out of 10 — but the score is built solely on EQAO standardized assessment indicators (the Grade 9 math assessment and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test). Ottawa schools such as Colonel By, Lisgar, Nepean and Earl of March frequently appear among the city’s higher-rated schools in these reports.
What rankings may not measure
Parent takeaway A school’s fit for your child — programs, commute, community, support — can’t be captured in a single number.
Flexible Online Learning in Ottawa
Alongside its four school boards, Ottawa students increasingly use flexible online learning to fill gaps a fixed timetable can’t — a missing credit, a course conflict, summer school, a mark upgrade, or recognized Ontario credits for homeschoolers. Canadian Virtual School (CVS) is a Ministry-inspected private online high school (BSID #882250) that has granted OSSD credits since 2008, which means a credit earned through CVS courses counts the same as one from any Ontario day school.
Because CVS courses are asynchronous and self-paced, students anywhere in Ottawa — Kanata, Orléans, Barrhaven, Nepean or downtown — can start any time and finish on their own schedule. Common Ottawa use cases include summer school to free up a timetable slot, upgrading a course mark for competitive university programs at institutions like uOttawa or Carleton, and catching up on credits after a schedule disruption. Details for local students are on the CVS online high school in Ottawa page.
A missing credit
fill gaps a fixed timetable can’t
Summer school
free up a timetable slot
A mark upgrade
upgrading a course mark for competitive university programs
Homeschool credits
recognized Ontario credits for homeschoolers
Ministry-inspected
BSID #882250
OSSD credits
Ontario teachers
Year-round enrolment
Flexible learning
Student perspectives
How Flexibility Can Help
Stories like these are common among applicants who use online courses strategically.
Priya, a Grade 12 student in Kanata, wanted both AP Computer Science and a music course that ran in the same period. She took Grade 12 English online over the summer through CVS, freeing a timetable slot in the fall and keeping her university prerequisites on track — without giving up the course she loved.
Grade 12 student · Kanata
The Coleman family in Orléans homeschooled through Grade 10, then needed formally recognized Ontario credits for university applications. Their daughter completed her Grade 11 and 12 courses through CVS, earning Ministry-recognized OSSD credits from home while keeping the flexible rhythm their family had built.
Orléans
“Taking an online course helped me stay on track academically while managing other commitments. I enjoyed learning on my own schedule.”
A practical parent checklist
How to Choose the Right School for Your Child
Start from your child’s needs, then work backward to the school — most Ottawa families narrow the field quickly by checking four things: language pathway, catchment, specialty programs and flexibility needs. A practical checklist:
Programs
Does your child need IB, AP, gifted, arts, French Immersion or an SHSM sector? Anchor your shortlist to the schools that verifiably offer it.
Language and faith
French-language school (CEPEO/CECCE), French Immersion (OCDSB/OCSB), or English program?
Catchment and commute:
Use each board's school locator; weigh a specialty program against a longer daily commute, especially in winter.
Learning style and support:
Class sizes, special education supports, pace and school culture matter more day-to-day than any ranking.
Flexibility needs
Athletes, performers, students with health considerations or course conflicts may benefit from blending a home school with online credits.
Visit:
Attend open houses and information nights — most boards run them in late fall for the following September.
Common parent questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best high schools in Ottawa?
There is no single “best” school — Ottawa‘s strongest fit depends on program and location. Schools families frequently consider include Colonel By (IB), Lisgar (gifted), Canterbury (arts), Earl of March (AP), Nepean and Glebe in the public board, and OCSB schools such as St. Patrick’s and St. Pius X. Match the school’s verified programs to your child’s needs rather than relying on rankings.
What is the difference between public and Catholic schools in Ottawa?
Both are publicly funded, tuition-free and grant the same OSSD. The OCDSB (public) admits any resident student. At the same time, the OCSB (Catholic) includes religious education and typically prioritizes Catholic families, though non-Catholic students can often enrol at the secondary level where space permits. Program offerings, catchments and school cultures differ school by school.
Which Ottawa schools offer French Immersion?
French Immersion is widely available across both English boards. Most OCDSB secondary schools, including Colonel By, Earl of March, Nepean and Glebe, offer FI pathways, and the OCSB awards a French Immersion certificate for completing 10 French courses, per the board. Note that French Immersion differs from attending a French-language school under CEPEO or CECCE.
Which Ottawa schools offer the IB program?
Colonel By Secondary School is the OCDSB’s system school for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, accepting students from across the national capital region through an application process, according to the school and board. Families should verify current application timelines directly with the OCDSB, as intake criteria can change.
Which Ottawa schools offer AP courses?
Earl of March Secondary School in Kanata runs one of Ontario’s longest-standing Advanced Placement programs — the school reports offering AP since 1997, with senior courses in subjects such as Computer Science, English, French, Physics and History. Other schools may offer individual AP exams; confirm current offerings with each school’s guidance department.
What is SHSM?
A Specialist High Skills Major is a Ministry-approved Ontario program that lets Grade 11–12 students specialize in an economic sector — such as Health & Wellness or Digital Media — while completing the OSSD, per ontario.ca. It bundles sector-focused credits, industry certifications and experiential learning. In Ottawa, SHSM sectors are offered across many OCDSB and OCSB schools.
Can students in Ottawa take high school courses online?
Yes. Canadian Virtual School (CVS) is a Ministry-inspected online private school (BSID #882250) whose OSSD credits count the same as day-school credits. Ottawa students commonly use CVS for a missing credit, summer school, upgrading a mark, resolving timetable conflicts, or — for homeschool families — earning formally recognized Ontario credits. Registration is open year-round.
Who can attend French-language schools in Ottawa?
Under Section 23 of the Charter, children of francophone rights-holders are entitled to French-language education through CEPEO (public) or CECCE (Catholic). Families without automatic rights-holder status — for example, where neither parent was educated in French in Canada — can apply through each board’s admissions committee, which reviews requests case by case.
Do universities accept online high school credits from Ottawa students?
Yes. Because Ministry-inspected online schools grant the same OSSD credits as day schools, Ontario universities — including the University of Ottawa and Carleton University — treat them equivalently in admissions. What matters is that the Ontario Ministry of Education inspects the school and the credits appear on an official transcript.
How do school catchments work in Ottawa?
Most public and Catholic school placements are based on your home address; each board’s online school locator shows your designated school. Specialty programs are the main exception: IB, gifted and arts programs accept applications or auditions city-wide, and online courses have no catchment at all — useful when your designated school doesn’t offer a course your child needs.
Conclusion
Ottawa gives families an unusually rich set of choices: four publicly funded systems, city-wide specialty programs in IB, AP, gifted and the arts, strong French-language and French Immersion pathways, and SHSM options across sectors. No ranking can pick the right school for your child — but a clear-eyed look at programs, language, commute and learning style usually can. And when a timetable gap, a needed upgrade or a homeschool pathway calls for more flexibility, Ministry-inspected online options fill the space between. Questions about earning Ontario credits online from Ottawa? Contact Canadian Virtual School — or explore our guides on getting into the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Algonquin College [INSERT WHEN PUBLISHED].
Find the Right Learning Path for Your Child
Parent planning tip
Ask the board to confirm rights-holder eligibility, the designated catchment, transportation and current program availability before applying.
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Canadian Virtual School
- Ontario Ministry-inspected private high school
- BSID #882250
- Recognized OSSD credit courses
- Year-round enrolment
Need help choosing a course?
Speak with an advisor about prerequisites, upgrading or an OSSD pathway.
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